Hiring developers through Hackathons
Traditional code assignments that are given to candidates during job interviews don't really show how they will perform in a real project. It's also hard to predict how candidate will behave in stressful situation.
If your hiring process relies primarily on interviews, reference checks, and personality tests, you are choosing to use a process that is significantly less effective than it could be if more effective measures were incorporated.
Hackathons reveal how whether candidates have the endurance to work well on the actual team project under a tight deadline.
It's unique opportunity to see different attitudes and learn:
- who's showing leadership skills
- who's losing their cool after few hours of intensive work
- who's curious and asking the most questions
- who's answering a lot of questions
- who's demonstrating leadership skills
- who's taking risks
- who's playing it safe
- who's pushing the hardest
- who's making a mess
- who's upsetting other team members
- who's planning realistically
- who's a good spirit and a lot more.
You can easily imagine that real work environment that is created by Codefest events may reveal undesirable personality traits of developers. Those that could be hard to spot during job interview. Hackathons have ability to push toxic behavior patterns to the surface. It's due to time pressure and awards awaiting for winning entries that make people work frantically.
Do you have problems finding and retaining skilled employees? Put Hackathons on your radar! They have proven to change the way tech recruiting works. At ChallengeRocket we've observed many times how easy-going conversation with a hackfest participant turned into an informal interview and led to acquiring new great talent!
